Megan Vandemeer meant to tell her parents about her broken engagement, but a month and a half later she finds herself boarding a plane home to her wedding. Having stretched avoidance to its limits, it's time to come clean - a terrifying prospect since her mother is sure to blame her rather than her cheating, emotionally frigid ex. A couple of drinks and two Dramamine later, Megan finds herself spilling her sob story to the tall, dark, and handsome stranger in the seat next to her.

4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable & Fun Story

By
Amy M
on
10-23-16

Family Jewels

Rose Gardner Investigations, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
280

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
254

Story

4 out of 5 stars
260

Trouble always comes to those who court it. Rose Gardner's ability to see glimpses of the future has gotten her into hot water time and again, but so have her curiosity and her sense of daring. Those very qualities helped her defeat the most powerful man in Arkansas - a man so adept at hiding his crimes there was no way to defeat him inside of the law - but her success came at a steep personal price. Now she's throwing herself into her landscaping business, trying to live a life that's as orderly as one of her gardens.

5 out of 5 stars

Love this new series!

By
BMW
on
03-08-17

In High Cotton

Neely Kate Mystery, Book 2

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
68

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
64

Story

5 out of 5 stars
64

Neely Kate’s life is finally coming together. She’s living and working with her best friend, Rose. Her newly discovered brother, Joe, has decided he’s done hiding that she’s his sister, and her new boyfriend, Jed, is everything she could have dreamed of and more. Only things aren’t going as well as she’d hoped. Neely Kate is still keeping secrets from Rose.

5 out of 5 stars

I love Neely Kate!!

By
Amazon Customer
on
12-11-18

Trailer Trash

Neely Kate Mystery, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
105

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
98

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
97

Companion novella to the Rose Gardner Investigation series. This series provides insight into characters in the Rose Gardner world, but is not required to listen to the series.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent dive into Neely Kate's past

By
Syed S. Hossain
on
06-26-17

Center Stage

Magnolia Steele Mystery, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Elise Arsenault

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
125

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
119

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
120

Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee, after an incident that left her with hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return...until she has no choice. When Magnolia's breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there's only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma's porch, suitcase in hand.

4 out of 5 stars

Slow story initially, wish book was a bit longer

By
Syed S. Hossain
on
02-07-17

Curtain Call

Magnolia Steele Mystery #4

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
73

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
71

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
70

Fourth and final book in the USA Today bestselling Magnolia Steele Mystery series. Magnolia Steele has nothing left to lose. Her once-beloved father has been unmasked as a criminal, her mother is dead, and her two closest allies—her boyfriend and her sister-in-law—have broken her trust. Worse, the serial killer who has tormented her since her return to Franklin has escalated his behavior.

5 out of 5 stars

Love the book and the audible

By
S J
on
03-15-18

The Substitute

Wedding Pact Series #1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 10 hrs and 7 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,648

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,532

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,524

Megan Vandemeer meant to tell her parents about her broken engagement, but a month and a half later she finds herself boarding a plane home to her wedding. Having stretched avoidance to its limits, it's time to come clean - a terrifying prospect since her mother is sure to blame her rather than her cheating, emotionally frigid ex. A couple of drinks and two Dramamine later, Megan finds herself spilling her sob story to the tall, dark, and handsome stranger in the seat next to her.

4 out of 5 stars

Enjoyable & Fun Story

By
Amy M
on
10-23-16

Family Jewels

Rose Gardner Investigations, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 10 hrs and 1 min

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
280

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
254

Story

4 out of 5 stars
260

Trouble always comes to those who court it. Rose Gardner's ability to see glimpses of the future has gotten her into hot water time and again, but so have her curiosity and her sense of daring. Those very qualities helped her defeat the most powerful man in Arkansas - a man so adept at hiding his crimes there was no way to defeat him inside of the law - but her success came at a steep personal price. Now she's throwing herself into her landscaping business, trying to live a life that's as orderly as one of her gardens.

5 out of 5 stars

Love this new series!

By
BMW
on
03-08-17

In High Cotton

Neely Kate Mystery, Book 2

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 9 hrs and 34 mins

Unabridged

Overall

5 out of 5 stars
68

Performance

5 out of 5 stars
64

Story

5 out of 5 stars
64

Neely Kate’s life is finally coming together. She’s living and working with her best friend, Rose. Her newly discovered brother, Joe, has decided he’s done hiding that she’s his sister, and her new boyfriend, Jed, is everything she could have dreamed of and more. Only things aren’t going as well as she’d hoped. Neely Kate is still keeping secrets from Rose.

5 out of 5 stars

I love Neely Kate!!

By
Amazon Customer
on
12-11-18

Trailer Trash

Neely Kate Mystery, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 7 hrs and 23 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
105

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
98

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
97

Companion novella to the Rose Gardner Investigation series. This series provides insight into characters in the Rose Gardner world, but is not required to listen to the series.

5 out of 5 stars

Excellent dive into Neely Kate's past

By
Syed S. Hossain
on
06-26-17

Center Stage

Magnolia Steele Mystery, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Elise Arsenault

Length: 10 hrs and 30 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
125

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
119

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
120

Ten years ago, Magnolia Steele fled Franklin, Tennessee, after an incident that left her with hazy memories and a horror of the place where she had been born and bred. Though her abrupt departure destroyed most of her treasured relationships, she vowed never to return...until she has no choice. When Magnolia's breakout acting role in a Broadway musical ends in disgrace, there's only one place she can go. She finds herself on her momma's porch, suitcase in hand.

4 out of 5 stars

Slow story initially, wish book was a bit longer

By
Syed S. Hossain
on
02-07-17

Curtain Call

Magnolia Steele Mystery #4

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Shannon McManus

Length: 10 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
73

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
71

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
70

Fourth and final book in the USA Today bestselling Magnolia Steele Mystery series. Magnolia Steele has nothing left to lose. Her once-beloved father has been unmasked as a criminal, her mother is dead, and her two closest allies—her boyfriend and her sister-in-law—have broken her trust. Worse, the serial killer who has tormented her since her return to Franklin has escalated his behavior.

5 out of 5 stars

Love the book and the audible

By
S J
on
03-15-18

Deadly Summer

Darling Investigations, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Megan Tusing

Length: 11 hrs and 26 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
693

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
627

Story

4 out of 5 stars
628

Ten years ago, Summer Butler was television's most popular teenage sleuth. Since then, she's hit - what gossip sites just
love to call - the gutter. Nearly bankrupt, betrayed, estranged from her greedy mother, and just about unemployable, she's coaxed into that desperate haven for has-beens: reality TV.

3 out of 5 stars

Meh..typical "modern" cozy

By
Constance Jenkins
on
05-04-18

Twenty-Eight and a Half Wishes

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Frances Fuller

Length: 8 hrs and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
1,314

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
1,173

Story

4 out of 5 stars
1,178

For Rose Gardner, working at the DMV on a Friday afternoon is bad even before she sees a vision of herself dead. She's had plenty of visions, usually boring ones like someone's toilet's overflowed, but she's never seen one of herself before. When her overbearing momma winds up murdered on her sofa instead, two things are certain: There isn't enough hydrogen peroxide in the state of Arkansas to get that stain out, and Rose is the prime suspect.

2 out of 5 stars

I'm trying to get past the narration

By
Amazon Customer
on
05-03-16

Fool Me Once

First Wives Series, Book 1

By:
Catherine Bybee

Narrated by:
Emma Wilder

Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,083

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
912

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
909

Cynical divorce attorney Lori Cumberland lives by one motto:
Love is grand, but divorce is a hundred grand. With one failed marriage under her own personal belt, Lori had fallen hard and early - and it isn't something she plans on repeating. She's content focusing on the temporary marriages of her rich and famous clients. When she joins some of her recent divorcées on a celebratory cruise, her only vow is fun, sun, and new friends. But Lori finds herself tempted by a jury of one.

5 out of 5 stars

Loved the Romance and Mystery!

By
Katherine
on
09-26-17

Rumble on the Bayou

By:
Jana DeLeon

Narrated by:
Johanna Parker

Length: 9 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
141

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
125

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
124

Deputy Dorie Berenger knew the day would go from bad to worse when she found a stoned alligator in the town drunk’s swimming pool. Then DEA agent Richard Starke shows up in Gator Bait, Louisiana, giving out orders and insults faster than you can cast a fishing line. Dorie knows the residents of Gator Bait aren’t going to talk to a stranger, but she stuck with Richard until he catches his bad guy. With no other alternative to restore peace to the town, Dorie agrees to help Richard and in the process, uncovers decades of secrets that have been hiding deep in the Louisiana bayou.

5 out of 5 stars

I wanted a snack and got a meal

By
Techpotato
on
02-06-19

Unlucky

By:
Jana DeLeon

Narrated by:
Johanna Parker

Length: 9 hrs and 37 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
46

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
44

Story

4 out of 5 stars
44

Mallory Devereaux is known throughout the town of Royal Flush, Louisiana, as a walking disaster, and her luck just got worse. She needs to raise $10,000 in one week to keep the IRS from seizing her adoptive father’s business, where she works as the demolition foreman. When the opportunity to cool cards at her uncle’s casino comes up, Mallory hopes her luck is changing. But when she realizes her uncle has assembled a tournament of criminals, she wonders what she’s stepped in the middle of.

3 out of 5 stars

Pushed through it...

By
Michelle
on
02-18-19

After Math

Off the Subject, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Appelusa McGlynn

Length: 6 hrs and 40 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
162

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
148

Story

4 out of 5 stars
148

Scarlett Goodwin's world is divided into Before and After. Before she agreed to tutor Tucker Price, college junior Scarlett was introvert, struggling with her social anxiety disorder and determined to not end up living in a trailer park like her mother and her younger sister. A mathematics major, she goes to her classes, to her job in the tutoring lab, and then hides in the apartment she shares with her friend, Caroline.

4 out of 5 stars

I really liked this one. Great NA

By
CJ
on
01-15-15

Chosen

The Chosen, Book 1

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
John Mierau

Length: 9 hrs and 55 mins

Unabridged

Overall

3.5 out of 5 stars
134

Performance

3.5 out of 5 stars
116

Story

4 out of 5 stars
119

Everything Emma Thompson owns fits in a suitcase. She moves from one roach infested motel to another. She and Jake, her five-year-old son, who can see the future, are running from the men intent on taking him. Emma will do anything to protect him, even when it means accepting the help of a stranger named Will. Jake insists she needs Will, but Emma's never needed help before. And even though she's learned to trust her son, it doesn't mean she trusts Will.

3 out of 5 stars

Honest and Constructive Feedback

By
Kindle Customer
on
12-14-12

One Paris Summer

By:
Denise Grover Swank

Narrated by:
Amy McFadden

Length: 11 hrs and 44 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
82

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
77

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
76

Most teens dream of visiting the City of Lights, but it feels more like a nightmare for Sophie Brooks. She and her brother are sent to Paris to spend the summer with their father, who left home a year ago without any explanation. As if his sudden abandonment weren't betrayal enough, he's about to remarry, and they're expected to play nice with his soon-to-be wife and stepdaughter. The stepdaughter, Camille, agrees to show them around the city, but she makes it clear that she will do everything in her power to make Sophie miserable.

5 out of 5 stars

I want a summer in Paris too!

By
Karen Russell
on
07-31-16

Maid for Love

Gansett Island Series, Book 1

By:
Marie Force

Narrated by:
Holly Fielding

Length: 6 hrs and 42 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
712

Performance

4 out of 5 stars
641

Story

4 out of 5 stars
642

Maddie Chester is determined to leave her hometown of Gansett Island, a place that has brought her only bad memories and ugly rumors. Then she’s knocked off her bike on the way to her housekeeping job at McCarthy’s Resort Hotel by Gansett’s "favorite son", Mac McCarthy. He’s back in town to help his father with preparations to sell the family resort and has no intention of staying long. When Mac accidentally sends Maddie flying over the handlebars, badly injuring her, he moves in to nurse her back to health and help care for her young son.

5 out of 5 stars

Entertaining

By
TM
on
08-29-13

Cowboy Brave

By:
Carolyn Brown

Narrated by:
Chelsea Hatfield

Length: 9 hrs

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
71

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
60

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
60

This city girl's about to get a dose of cowboy charm. Emily Baker doesn't rough it - anymore. Born and raised on a farm, she's worked hard to distance herself from that life, thank you very much. But when the seniors at the nursing home where she works beg for a ranch retreat, she caves and heads up to the Longhorn Canyon spread. With one glance at the sexy cowboy who opens the door, she's suddenly thinking a week with him might not be so bad after all.

5 out of 5 stars

Where’s my second book?

By
Gsabe
on
01-12-19

Not Quite Dating

Not Quite Series, Book 1

By:
Catherine Bybee

Narrated by:
Amy McFadden

Length: 7 hrs and 5 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4.5 out of 5 stars
2,064

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,788

Story

4.5 out of 5 stars
1,782

Working the graveyard shift as a waitress, single mother Jessie Mann has no time to waste on a Texan with big dreams and a skinny wallet. And that’s just what she sees when Jack Morrison ambles into the diner where she works. After a childhood of financial instability, Jessie swore she’d do better by her son. But with Christmas just around the corner, saying no to Jack and his cowboy good looks is easier said than done.

4 out of 5 stars

A pleasant surprise!

By
SIMARA
on
12-19-12

It Started with Christmas

By:
Jenny Hale

Narrated by:
Helene Maksoud

Length: 10 hrs and 2 mins

Unabridged

Overall

4 out of 5 stars
104

Performance

4.5 out of 5 stars
91

Story

4 out of 5 stars
92

Holly McAdams loves spending the Christmas holidays at her family’s cozy cabin, with its little red door and twinkling lights, tucked in the snowy hills outside Nashville. But this year will be different. Someone unexpected is joining them. After Holly and her beloved Nana struggle through a snowstorm to reach the cabin, they discover gorgeous and wealthy Joseph Barnes, who has been renting the cabin for the last few weeks, is now snowed in. And it looks like he’ll be staying for the holidays.

5 out of 5 stars

a great story

By
Lolasark
on
12-02-18

Publisher's Summary

A Bachelor Brotherhood Novel

Never say never....

Romance isn't an option for Holly Greenwood. With her wedding planner career on the line, she needs to stay focused, and that means pleasing her demanding boss, not getting distracted by her mind-alteringly hot neighbor....

Ex-marine Kevin Vandemeer craves normalcy. Instead he has a broken-down old house in need of a match and some gasoline, a meddling family, and the uncanny ability to attract the world's craziest women. At least that last one he can fix: He and his buddies have made a pact to swear off women, and this includes his sweetly sexy new neighbor.

After one hot night that looks a whole lot like a disaster in the light of day, Kevin and Holly are about to learn that true love doesn't play by the rules....

Great story, great voices by the narrator. But...

The story was amazing. It was a wonderfully sappy love story with enough suspense to keep you listening.

What was one of the most memorable moments of Only You?

When Holly finally agreed to be Kevin's girlfriend

Did Loretta Rawlins do a good job differentiating all the characters? How?

Yes, I liked how she did different voices for different people. She kept the voices the same and it was easy to differentiate. My only criticism about Loretta is the way she ends all her sentences. She puts an extra "uh" at the end of each sentence. "Do you want to go with me-yuh?" "No-wuh." "I have to plan the wedding-guh." It's really, really annoying.

Was this a book you wanted to listen to all in one sitting?

Yes

Any additional comments?

This is my only criticism about the narrator, and I mentioned it before but it bears repeating. It is my opinion she needs to relearn how to end her sentences. She puts an extra "uh" at the end of each sentence. "Do you want to go with me-yuh?" "No-wuh." "I have to plan the wedding-guh." It's really, really annoying.

Narration distracting

The narrator's pacing and random pauses/hesitations were very distracting. I listened to Swank's Wedding Pact series that this one is spun from and enjoyed it much more - in large part due to the narrator.

I did manage to listen to this whole story but don't think I can stomach the rest of the series if they use the same narrator. Too bad because I've really enjoyed Swank's books.

1st Audiobook

This is my first Audiobook, and it was a very interesting experience. Having someone read to me took time to get use to. I can say that I truly enjoyed the story, and I got to listen to it while cooking, getting ready for work or just my daily things around the house.

For a review of Only You, I love Denise Grover Swank's work. I enjoyed The Wedding Pact series, and I think The Bachelor Brotherhood is a great follow up. I can't wait to hear more from the other 2 brothers, and to catch up with Holly and Kevin's story! if you have enjoyed The Wedding Pact you'll love this, if you haven't read The Wedding Pact you can read this with out losing anything!

Super Funny Romance!

I loved this book! It was a cute funny love story that can be a stand alone or you can read the next book in the series and enjoy a few similar characters. This book 1 in the Bachelor Brotherhood Kevin a former marine, back home with his two best friends decide they have complete sworn off women. Well we all know what happens you say never again. Sure enough the girl of his dreams walk into his life. Will he keep the pack? Or will his adorable neighbor steal his heart? This is a great lighthearted romance.